Shangri La
by Bai Hikari Tsubasa
Summary: Featuring an InuYasha and Kikyou love story.
1. Chapter 1: Investigating

Shangri La Chapter One:

Investigating the Existence of Haven

An ominous mountain loomed in sight as the lone figure made her way towards it, pummeled by the snow. She was obviously struggling to keep a foothold, but it was hard, with the gale blinding her view. From the corners of her eyes, she could see the lurking shadow of her "stalker", following her every moves with keen amber eyes.

A few days back, Kikyou had received a task to find out the cause of the missing villagers in the north. The few eyewitnesses told encounters of the missing villagers before their disappearance, saying that they will reach a haven hidden amidst the mountain. Soon after, the missing people disappeared on a journey in search of a utopia that never led to any returns.

Kikyou, a young and powerful priestess, was more than obliged to accept the task. She had suspicions of the so-called haven, and would prefer to believe that it was a demon's doings that led to this disappearances. She had learned from experiences that demons have the ability to confuse the human heart and lure them into a deadly trap. With luck, the missing villagers would still be alive, but from the general look of the situation, they would probably be dead.

"Hey, you know you could come out now," Kikyou could no longer take the hidden existence of her stalker.

From behind a tree, a silver-haired humanoid half demon strode out. He was irritated too, Kikyou could tell by the twitching of his little puppy ears. He had never liked to be out in full view with the priestess, but somehow, he had always been following her ever since they met. InuYasha was his name, so she heard from the rare conversations she had with him, and he was also after the precious Shikon no tama. Yet there was something about him, something elusive, that caused her to give mercy. She would have destroyed any demons after the Shikon no tama, but this hanyou, was another thing. In fact, she felt pity towards him, and a sense of...she could not tell, she had never had this feeling before in her whole life as one who was dedicated to the task of protecting the jewel. Could it be what people call love and affection?

Then Kikyou realized that the hanyou was talking to her. "Pardon me? I lost track of what you said," she muttered.

"Hmph, consider your senses good that you felt my presence," InuYasha sneered, "but just you wait, while you are busy with the demons, I'll find a chance to snatch the jewel away."

To this statement, Kikyou only shook her head and continued on towards the mountain, bound to find out the source of the trouble.

* * *

Night fell, and the moon glowed upon the priestess who stood by the mouth of the cave. She peered in carefully, surprised that she could not feel any presence of evil aura. Maybe the missing villagers were right, this could be the haven, the Shangri-La that they have been talking about.

Shaking that thought aside, she entered the cave. InuYasha followed suit, silent and wary, but from the twitch of his nose, Kikyou knew that he was as curious as she.

Hours after hours went by as the pair descend into what seem like an endless downward slope. No traces of any human activities were about. Kikyou was starting to turn dubious and skeptical, wondering if she had went on into the wrong cave or the wrong mountain.

All of a sudden, without a warning, a hole yawned in front of her. She slipped and fell, grabbing her hands out frantically. The only thing she could get a hold on though, was InuYasha's sleeve. Astonishment showed on the hanyou's face (if one could see it in the dark) before he also lost his balance and fell down into the hole along with the priestess.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2: Lost and Confusion

"Ugh...." InuYasha cursed darkly to himself as he regained his senses. "What did you do that for?"

No reply. Only then did he realized that Kikyou was lying unconscious beside him, and that they were in some shallow underground pool of some sort. Freezing water trickled down InuYasha's hair, soaking into his shirt. Naturally, it would feel refreshing on summer, but now in the winter, this was far from refreshing. He growled slightly again and lifted himself up, shaking the excess water from his shirt. He gave a scornful look down at the unmoving figure, before deciding to carry her on his back towards a dry spot. Besides, he was not the kind that would take advantage and steal the jewel when the protector was unconscious.

_Plop. Plop. Slush. Pop. _

InuYasha stopped. Was it his imagination that he heard other sounds aside from the dripping water? It was hard to tell in this echoing cavern.

He toiled awhile in the water before he heard the same sound again. This time, it sounded closer than before, almost right behind him. He whirled around but saw nothing (if anyone can see anything at all in the darkness, but that's beside the point). His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the whole pool, searching for signs of living organisms; but only water met his eyes.

Wasting no time, he found a dry spot by the pool and settle down. Kikyou's body felt comfortably warm on his back, and he caught a whiff of her scent. Aside from the smell of the demons' blood that Kikyou had slain, there was something else: something sweet and fragrant underneath. And InuYasha liked that smell. It made him calm and cozy despite the water that continued to drip from his body. He laid Kikyou down by the floor and studied her face. It was the first time he was ever so close to this priestess, and it was also the first time he noticed that Kikyou was strikingly beautiful. Her pale skin seems to glow by itself, and her long hair...

InuYasha slapped himself of the face. What was he thinking? She was his nemesis, she had hold of the object that could free his life from discriminations, and further most, she hated him. Or did she? Several times she almost claimed his life, but every time she would stop and leave him be. And somehow though, when he search himself, he felt no hatred for this woman. She was merely an obstacle in his eyes.

When InuYasha looked back at Kikyou's face again, he found the priestess's hazel eyes gazing back directly at him. He almost jumped out of his skin in surprise. The priestess pulled herself in a sitting position.

"Did you carry me here from the pool?" Kikyou asked as she shook her sleeves dry.

Unwilling to show any type of soft spot, InuYasha only made a scoff at the question and turned away from the priestess. Kikyou took this as a sign of rejection to a conversation and stood up, facing the shallow pond and tilted her head slightly back at InuYasha, a silent invitation for him to follow her. At that, InuYasha turned on his heels and stalked off in the opposite direction, indicating that he will have no more to do with the priestess at this point on. With that, the both of them reached a silent conclusion and each walked off in their own desired direction.

* * *

The dearth of any demonic scent, much less living signs were starting to unnerve Kikyou. More hours had passed by from endless searching, but nothing odd had popped out. On the other hand, the inevitable anchor of sleep had started to drop on her eyelids, and she found herself doing periodical pauses to rub her eyes.

The she stopped abruptly. She heard that soft, but unmistakable sound of _"slush" _amidst the endless dripping water.

Kikyou peered into the looming darkness, she was sure that that is the source of the queer sound. Her initial response was to deftly notch an arrow onto her bow and pull the string taut, aiming at the darkness. But after a certain time lapse, the muscles in her right hand complained, and she had to relax her stance. Again, the _slush_ came as if it had noticed that she was not guarded. This time, it resounded around the whole tunnel and she was unable to pinpoint that source of it. Arrow flew to the bow and the string was pulled taut. Kikyou's brown eyes surveyed the darkness before her but spotted nothing.

_Slush_. The sound definitely came from behind this time. The priestess whirled around to confront a large shadow. It moved at lightning speed and in a flash, it's knuckles connect with Kikyou's stomach and her breath was ripped away. Before consciousness fade away, she felt herself flying off a distance and her head hitting the rock wall behind her.

* * *

"Keh, she might as well say a thank you." grumbled a rather pissed off hanyou. For some reason, he had been particularly sensitive about the point that Kikyou did not even show the tiniest fleck of gratitude. He cursed himself for even bothering to help her to shore, he might as well let the bitch drown. Then again, there's one part of him that seems to be relieved that she was safe for the time being. "Blast it!"

As much as he hate to admit, InuYasha found himself lost in the endless cave. He had used up all means of finding a way out, his incredible hearing and smelling senses having failed him. This cave is absolutely peculiar. Never had InuYasha been to a place that is so devoid of life, smell and just about everything!

Just when he was about to give up and turn back, he saw right before him, just around the corner, a snip of blue light. _Heck, at least that's something_. InuYasha picked up his pace and turned the corner to behold...


	3. Chapter 3: Ice and Man

Enclosed by walls from all three sides stood a life-size block of ice pulsing with blue light at strict intervals. Both ceiling and walls were covered with crystals that reflect the blue light with unknown brilliance. To enhance the effect further, the rock walls were topped off with a thin layer of water that glistened at the shine of the light as if the stars itself were caught. All echoes of dripping water ceased. An atmosphere of tranquility rest over the whole place.

Inside the block of ice though, encase something else far more beautiful than its whole surrounding and took the hanyou's breath away. A girl stood in the middle of the ice with her eyes closed. Her face was pale as snow, and her skin reflect the blue light throbbing outside; upon her brow rest crystal shards that were black as the cloudless night sky and her hair fell in a dark pool around her waist, softly covering her bare shoulders. Her mouth was opened slightly as if she had something that she wanted to say, but am not able to voice it in time before being sealed up inside this ice. Her hands stretch out in a gesture of what one could interpret as asking for an embrace, the fingers imploring for an unknown man. The natural curves of her waist, shoulder, hips and breasts could make even the most experienced sculptor reel with jealousy for its perfectness. A mask of serenity was worn on the girl's face, synchronizing with the air of tranquility around her.

InuYasha was plastered to the spot. Soon, he became aware of his gaping mouth and peel his eyes away from the priestess in the ice. This was definitely unexpected. Unconsciously, a tint of cherry red crept across his face. Further along the distance, he noticed that there were many more similar caverns, each holding the same life-size ice with different people in it. Well, at least that explains where everyone went. But what should he do? Caught between indecisiveness and helplessness, the hanyou wished not for the first time that he was out of this cave.

"Well well, look what we have here? Another wanderer seeking for a haven?" came a voice behind. So fair was the voice that it seems as if the whole cave lighten with his voice and for a moment, the hanyou behold an image of a vast green land before him.

InuYasha turned to see a man clad in long white robes unlike any that he had seen before. Upon his sleeves hung tiny bells, and in his hand stood a white staff. His hair was a brilliant silver, just like InuYasha's, and much to the hanyou's annoyance, the man's eyes were golden too. "Keh, what are you here for? You --" InuYasha stopped short, searching for the right insult, but as nothing came up, he decide to end just with an indignant snort.

"Ah, that should be my question to you, dear one. (InuYasha gagged at being called that). You see, I'm the guardian of this haven. Ii is my duty to welcome all weary wanderers and guide them to true paradise." The white man laughed (no need to mention how his cheery laugh got on the nerves of the hanyou).

"If you mean freezing everyone up and putting them in a block of ice guidance to haven, I swear the world is going to be so much more of a beautiful place." InuYasha half scorned half snarled in return. "How about putting me as your next sculpture piece?"

"Just what I was thinking too, you need some guidance," Smiled the man as he pointed his staff directly in the hanyou's face.

"Damn."

A/N: Sorry for being so late in writing for this chapter. Revisiting this story after a few weeks later, the story, admittedly, is rather anti-climatic in my opinion and heading in a rather loose ending...that explains the lack of enthusiasm in continuing on.


	4. Chapter 4: Panic

A blinding flash of light shot out from the tip of the staff, and came zigzagging at the hanyou at an amazing speed. He managed to utter his famous swear word before performing a stunning somersault through the air and dodging the light in time. The place where the light contact turned immediately to smooth glassy ice.

"What in the world was that!?" InuYasha exclaimed as he positioned himself opposite of the man. Without waiting for a reply from his adversary, InuYasha dashed in straight towards the man, bending down at the last minute and performing an uppercut in hopes that it would take down his enemy with just one swift blow. To his surprise (and much to his despair), his fist hit blank air and his legs, still running, hurtled himself right against Kikyou's ice. Luckily, the ice withhold the force of the impact and did not shatter to pieces. When he looked up again, he found himself upside down and staring straight into the man's eyes. Golden met for a brief second before InuYasha righted himself again into a kneeling position on the ground.

This time, he took a more tentative move. He circled himself slowly around the man before charging, gathering speed with each step. His adversary did not seem to mind him. InuYasha continued, smiling grimly. Just when he thought he was right behind the man and the man could not possibly have dodged, he made for the kill. With all his might, he delivered a punch, aiming for the man's head.

Once again, his fist came in contact with nothing as the man disappeared right before his eyes. InuYasha gawked. The man was nowhere in sight, but his laughter mingled in the still air with the pulsing blue light that turned stronger.

_Kikyou!_ The light around the priestess was also starting to glow, pulsing faster and faster. Desperation seized the hanyou. InuYasha ran up to the ice, trying to seek out a way to either break it or melt it. "Sankon Tessou!" His harsh cries echoed in the cavern as his claws strike against the ice. Without knowing why, he wanted badly to escape with Kikyou, he wanted to see her safe and most of all, he wanted her to be with him. A shudder ran through the cave, displacing several large rocks. To his horror, some of the ice broke into pieces along with the person enclosed inside it.

"Get out! Where are you? Get out and stop hiding!" InuYasha cried into the empty cavern until his voice was hoarse and unrecognizable. Absolute panic was finally settling in on him. He ran between tunnels, only to return quickly to check upon the priestess. She was still caught in the same stance, her hands stretched out towards him for help.

It was all too much. The silver-haired boy finally broke down. All his life, he had walked on the edge of a death cliff, avoiding humans who hunted him, demons who regarded him as meals, he had lived the life of fear. Soon enough, fear was of no more importance to him, only the dogged will to survive kept him on. He learned the art of fighting, and with it comes power and dominance. He hunted those who hunted him before and became a terror to many in the woods. But now, fear re-entered his heart and took control. Unknowingly, the girl before him had become part of his life. Months of stalking after her and attempts to snatch the jewel had weaved itself into his life, and he couldn't bear the despair of losing a worthy opponent.

InuYasha collapsed before the block of ice and covered his head in his hands. "Keh, and in the end, you are of no more power than a mere girl." He whispered, hoping that maybe the priestess could hear his words and once more come back to challenge him.

As if hearing his pleas, the image before him dissolved.

**A/N:** Thank you to those who read and reviewed the story, I appreciate it a lot. Have to say, I feel bad for letting you down on this rather hurried ending.


	5. Chapter 5: A Meeting With The Mind

Things started to swirl in a mind rendering vortex, melting into one another at a most beautiful radiance. The ice, the rocks, the cave, everything. They were gone, no, becoming one around the hanyou, surrounding him in an ever-shifting blur. There were voices in the air, sometimes whispering closely by him, sometimes screaming in rage, none of which were even slightly comprehensible to him. To his horror, Kikyou also started dissolving into the lights around him. Then, in a twinkling, she was gone. InuYasha's amber eyes glazed over in confusion, his vision was slowly blacking out. He tried to focus, but it was rather hard when everything around him was acting the opposite.

As the darkness descended, InuYasha thought he heard someone called out in a soft voice "InuYasha". Then blackness enveloped him and his eyes closed.

* * *

_"Mama, what is love?" a chubby face stared up as he nuzzled deeper into the embrace of a woman. He could hear the rustling noise of the canopy above them as fresh breeze passed through it. Further out somewhere, he could distinguish the dim sound of water running through shallow rocks, lapping at the banks hungrily. Grasses swayed and tickled his little feet, forcing giggles out of him. _

_Gently, he felt a hand resting on his head, stroking and combing his silvery locks. He gazed back at the woman. "Love," she replied, "is a very special gift that everyone holds. It is also a talent that you are born with." _

_"But how do you know when someone loves you or you are in love?" he thrust his little head back so he can get a better view of the woman's face. _

_She was beautiful, her pale skin illuminated by the rays of the sun. The cherry red lips on her face formed a slight smile and as she moved her head, the wind caught hold of her hair and played with it. The same hair and skin like a certain someone......_

_"This, my dear, would be up to you to decide when the time comes..." her voice faded._

* * *

"Kikyou." A single teardrop rolled down his cheeks as he awoke from this poignant memory. He remembered now, the same lustrous dark hair and pale skin of his mother reminded him sharply of the priestess. They resembled one another in many ways. Maybe that was the first reason why he was drawn to the priestess and felt a closer connection to her.

But she was gone.

Slowly, but unstoppable, the sight of the priestess encased in the ice came rushing back into his mind, filling him with the utmost despair. She disappeared, melted into who-knows-what. He could imagine himself falling, falling into this nameless void of life that snatched everything that he possessed from him. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all to close his eyes and give up, lie in this dreaded confinement of his life that was slowly eating him away.

So lost was InuYasha with his own thoughts that he didn't bothered to open his eyes and look around. If he would have done so, he would now find himself lying in an absurdly exquisite house, furnished with paintings and decorations that would be fit only for an emperor. Sadly, our hero managed to be so entrapped with his own mind that he continued to lie there, mourning over his past and present situation, and feeling dejected about the future.

A few feet away, the white robed man sat, staring in amusement at his "victim". For thousand of years, all the people he had ever met only begged him to bring them to haven. This? Not so much. As a matter of fact, he was just starting to have some fun tormenting InuYasha to see what was the true purpose the hanyou came here for. But as he slowly entered and read the hanyou's mind, he was rather touched by all the setbacks that the hanyou had experienced. Most people would have just sought a shorter way out of life, but InuYasha managed to last through all of it, even if most of the time it was through blundering luck.

"Such a young and yet chained soul, you are so close to finding true happiness if only you would open up your mind and see it," the man muttered. "Or maybe, your other half might help you."

* * *

Somewhere in another part of the house, Kikyou was just meditating in the middle of the room, accompanied by another image of the white-robed man. Ever since the blackout, she had awoke much in the same way as InuYasha had, and had been denied the right to leave the room by this image of the man.

"Who are you?" Her cold eyes clashed with the man's.

"Rather odd of you to ask who am I when you had probably guessed since the last few hours that you were closed here." The man smiled.

"In that case, what is your purpose?"

The man cocked his head to the side in curiosity, "now that would be even odder, don't you think? After all, the two of you managed to rampage through my house with not so much as a knock, it should be me who should ask all the questions." A brief moment of silence. "But I need not worry about that, seeing that I already know of your purpose. You seek for the missing villagers?"

"If you would so kindly tell me their locations, yes."

The man simply indicate with a wave of his hand. "Follow me."

* * *

Two lone figures passed through the many twisting passage of the house, dimly lit by overhanging lanterns that cast eerie shadows in every corner. The deeper into the house they moved, the darker the shadows loomed ahead of them. But despite the blackness, there was a fragrance in the air of cherry blossom, reminding one of the open fields during spring.

Kikyou carefully took note of the distance they traveled, just in case she would have need to retreat and run if anything arises. She also judged the air scrupulously, trying to discern any killing or demonic aura. So far, everything was strangely comfortable, the only thing that irked her was the fact that the man's robe was not moving near the feet. As a matter of fact, she heard no foot steps from him, he seemed to be gliding along the floor.

"Where's InuYasha?" Kikyou decided to ask the question that had been hanging on her mind most since she first came into the house. She did not want to appear in any way that she was worried about InuYasha, but deep inside, she cannot contain the brewing anxiety arising with every single moment that passed by.

"I was just starting to wonder when you are going to ask about him. Surely, you do feel for him, no?" This time, he turned around and his face was serious.

"Answer my question," was Kikyou's only reply to the man. She disliked the way that he knew things, and to make it worse, he seems to be able to read her inner thoughts too. Then again, what might you expect from a *celestial being?

"He is waiting for a breakthrough," the man answered and continued walking. But before Kikyou had a time to answer, she finds herself stepping into bright daylight and soft grass. And there, before her, she really thought that she had reached a haven.

A/N: *Celestial being - something along the line of immortal saint people, a sen nin (english does not contain this word)

Yes, the next chapter would probably be the final chapter, I have to admit, this story had been stretched for more chapters than I originally expected. Once again, thank you very much for the reviews and feedbacks :)


	6. Chapter 6: I love You

A sudden wind whipped into Kikyou's face and she tried to shield her face from the force of the wind. Her eyes tear slightly from the slashing coldness – then it stopped. The penetrating sunlight melted down to a light cream color as the image cleared. It formed itself into vast mountains that hid its peaks amongst the slow-moving clouds, accompanied by a sweet sounding river weaving its ways out between the mountains, though the segment where the river touches the mountain was shrouded in mist. The other side of the river came flowing towards Kikyou's right side.

By the river side stoop many figures, some sitting, some crouching down to cup water out of their hands. That is when Kikyou suddenly realized that these were indeed the missing villagers. Strangely enough, many of them wore blissful expressions, and none of them seem to be in the least surprise by the presence of the priestess. Many of them continued on with what they were doing (which is not much, considering they were just relaxing) without looking at her.

Then the silence was cracked suddenly by the sound of the celestial being's clapping. "Well now, you have found the missing villagers and the source of their disappearances. What are you going to do next?" He glanced casually at her.

"Of course I'll bring them back to their village." Kikyou answered rather matter-of-factly without casting a glance at the man.

The celestial being pouted slightly and placed his finger beneath his chin, tilting his head slightly in the process. "But if I remembered correctly, your task was just to find out the source of all these disappearances. It is not in your task to bring them back or hinder them from their decisions." He swept his hands in an outward motion to indicate all of the villagers. "Do you see any of them as being...endangered? Surely you could tell they were happy from the look on their faces."

"That is for me to decide. The objective of the task had changed slightly, I'm bringing them back." Kikyou walked off towards a group of villagers, introducing herself and her task and asking them to return with her. Much to her annoyance, the villagers only grinned foolishly and shook their head.

"Why would we want to do that? This is haven! Look around you, everything is wonderful!" One replied.

"Yes, and we would only returned to the harsh cruelty of life if we depart from this place. I suggest that the whole village come live here!" Another exclaimed and everyone nodded their head in agreement.

Kikyou asked a few more, and all the responses she received was the same. Frustrated, she came walking back to the celestial being. "What have you done to them?"

The man merely shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Perfectly nothing. I've only provide them with a new world, a place more wonderful than the war-torn world outside." Then his expression changed to seriousness again. "But I'm afraid that I have almost reached a limit."

"Limit?" Kikyou cocked her eyebrow.

"The reason why I trained to be a celestial being in the first place was because I was tired. Tired of the atrocities of war, the horror of famine and many other negative forces at work in the world. But I'm not God, I cannot right the world. With what meager power I have, I had constructed this place from scratch, to provide it to all those who true-heartedly sought out peace. Only the purest can enter, those which contained evil in their heart shall forever be lost in the mountain and decease there. With more and more people coming, I have slowly reached a limit. Soon, I would no longer be able to help those who come. To do so would mean over-using my powers and my own death, this would result in these people who were already here returning to what they fear most." The celestial being cast a sorrowful smile across to the priestess. The white glow around him seemed to die down a little and what Kikyou beheld was not a healthy young man, but a slumping shrunken figure.

Kikyou felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the figure before her. She had heard stories of such people who truly wanted to change the world for the better. Most of them had, sadly, failed or turn to evil from overusing their powers. This man was an exception. He managed to help people, even if it is such a scarce amount.

"Then...why do you bring me here?" She questioned.

"Because if I didn't, you and that friend of yours would be lost forever in the mountain. And, I wanted to help as many people as I can, including you." He added the last sentence with a hint of slyness in his tone and a small glint passed through his eyes.

The priestess caught that hint. "I do not need any help."

"And then again, maybe you do." The man waved his hand and indicates for Kikyou to follow him to a shallow pool located behind a curtain of bamboo by their left side. He plucked a segment from the nearest bamboo and dipped it into the pool. "You have something that had plagued you for quite awhile. This man," the waters suddenly whirl to form the figure of InuYasha lying in a room. His face was pale and unmoving, as if he were dead. Kikyou could not contain a gasp. "Ever since you first met him on the night of the new moon (where you did not even see his face), you must have felt a change. You and he have something in common, and you suddenly felt that you expect something that only he can give you. Am I right?"

Kikyou was chilled to the bone when the man said those words. All the months gone by she had indeed been haunted by this unnamed change, something that she could feel but not grasp at. Then this man had addressed it so plainly and it suddenly became clear to her. She had wanted so badly to be cared and protected by someone in return, someone who could understand her feelings. InuYasha was the only one who had a past and a present similar to hers and she had hoped to find dependence and protection from him. She could somehow see understanding in his eyes, and what had kept the distance between them all this time was the Shikon jewel. It had set them as adversaries, without the jewel, they could have been more than just friends.

"Is this...love?" Kikyou asked in a trembling voice, more to herself than the celestial being, but he answered nonetheless.

"I wouldn't reach that conclusion that fast yet. After all, both of you were too desperate for the need of feeling affection. It would take longer to see if it is true love, and that is up to either of you to make the move. Now that you come face to face with this unnamed change of yours, what will you do next? It's up to you; the hanyou is at that room." The celestial being pointed to a room located at the west side of the building. "And the exit is there." He turned his finger towards a little hole that suddenly appeared between a pair of parallel bamboo. Then with a flourishing gesture and a warm kindly smile, he disappeared.

* * *

Enveloped by the darkness in his thoughts, InuYasha lay unmoving at a corner of the room. He did not even open his eyes, hoping that he would just slowly fade away like so many things in his life. Then amidst his wandering thoughts came the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to him. The hanyou did not turn nor move to perceive who might be coming.

There was a shuffle as the door was pulled sideways, a moment of silence and suddenly a gentle touch on his cheek to brush away the teardrop. It felt like the time when his mother wiped away his tears when he was a mere child, except that the touch was more hesitant and slightly trembling.

Yet the touch still did its miracle. It pushed aside all the depression eating away at the hanyou, just like rain clouds being pushed aside and the sunlight shining through. Warmth crept from the bottom of his soul to his mind, and finally, he opened his honey-colored eyes.

Kikyou's face entered and framed his whole vision, a his hair. Somehow hint of a smile resting on her face as she stroked her eyes didn't seem that cold as before, and there was gentleness radiating from her whole being. The glazed golden eyes turned clearer and life came back to it, just as the rosy tint started creeping across his cheek. With the return of energy and the realization that the girl before him was his archrival, InuYasha struggled to sit up, but instead found himself tenderly held down by Kikyou's fingers, which lay across his chest.

"You..." InuYasha growled but the priestess only moved her fingers from his chest to his lips, silencing whatever that he was about to say. For a moment, the two of them remain unmoving –one bowing her head down, the other on the floor looking up – absorbing in this new atmosphere, looking into each other's eyes with tranquility for the first time and studying the other's face closely. Then, almost with regret, Kikyou withdrew her fingers slowly from InuYasha's lips. Alarmed, the hanyou immediately reached up and grasp those retreating fingers. Haltingly, he placed them on his cheeks again, feeling the slender fingers and admiring the smooth skin he felt beneath his hands.

"Just a moment longer," he whispered with a pleading look in his eyes and Kikyou complied silently. Upon seeing that Kikyou did not deny him the right to put her hands on his cheek, InuYasha took it one step further by tentatively raising his head and resting it on Kikyou's shoulders. At first, Kikyou almost pushed the hanyou away, but she forced herself to remain still as she felt strands of silver hair tickling her chin. A giggle came flowing out from her and the awkward tension between them eased.

Both of them were just so new to tactile feelings and found it rather pleasant to have someone by one's side. With this, the new change became apparent in both of these young minds. It may be winter in the outside world, but for now, it was spring in their hearts and a new possibility open up. The Shikon jewel, demon extermination and whatnot became a past, something that should not be brought up ever again between the two of them because it no longer exists as a barrier.

"You know, when the man said that I needed help, I was still wondering what folly was he talking about, but I realized now, that his help was valuable," Kikyou smiled as she entangle her fingers in InuYasha's hair and pulled his head closer to her's. "I have finally realize and found something that I have not had for so long."

InuYasha also smiled as he nuzzled into Kikyou's neck. "No wonder people call this a haven, because I have certainly found my Shangri La now." He proceeded to pull himself away and embrace Kikyou as if they had been a lover all along. This time, the priestess also return her affection by burrowing into InuYasha's embrace.

The clouds sailed by outside as the two figures continue to enjoy the presence of each other. For the moment, no words were needed since they both comprehend this silence.

* * *

"InuYasha, there it goes!" Kikyou shouted.

"Got it," the silver haired hanyou replied with a grin as he hunted down the escaping demon.

It was one month passed the event. Under the request of the villagers in the haven, Kikyou had reported to their village that they had unfortunately, perished out there. Then she had returned to her own village, and my! What a surprise Kaede had when she ran out to greet her sister only to see her holding hands with InuYasha with the most loving expression on their face as they gaze at each other. Slowly, people in the village had come to accept this foreign being and learned to appreciate InuYasha's strength, speed and agility in helping them perform different tasks.

After a very long time, InuYasha found a true home again, and for the first time, both of them found true love.

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**A/N: **Oh dearie, it finally ended! After what seem like an eternity, the story ceased to go on! Wow, I have to admit, writing a chaptered story is by far so much harder to write than just a short fic, and this is my first one that I managed to somehow persist through, despite how odd the plot have twisted into throughout the middle of the story. To tell the truth, _"Shangri La"_ was originally intended to only be a one-shot fic rather than an elongated story (I got the idea when I was living at the Shangri La hotel ;D ) , and that may explain the sudden lack of content and the rather weird turnout of the story. Nonetheless, it felt good to have finished it.

Furthermore, I must thank all those who put this story on their story alert, fave it and put feedbacks for it! I'm really rather new to writing chapter fic, but at least it is a worthwhile experience. **Thank you so much! :)**


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